Dillon, MT 59725(Beaverhead County)

A very productive and well watered compact ranch. The ranch has a carrying capacity of 225 pair depending on the rotation of crops and how it is irrigated. 175 pairs would be run on the Sparrow Creek Grazing Association which is in the Big Hole Country by Wisdom, Mt. Cattle are put on that grazing location June 1st and removed middle of October.The cost for the grazing association is about $10,000.00/yr. which pays for a hired man, maintenance, and payment on the mortgage of which there is only one year left after 2008. Buried mainline has valves at various locations to control the water flow to the 3 pivots and 10 wheel lines. A large reservoir is tied into the main line with 2 auxiliary pumps located below the reservoir. One is 100 hp and the other is 25 hp. A spring that feeds the reservoir is located on the leased 80 acres. The ranch has a 2/3 water right which is about 100 miners inches. The really great thing about the spring is that it is heated water.

The spring flows to the pond and from the pond thru a couple of pastures and thru the corrals by the headquarters. A fork of the spring, also, flows thru some of the crop land; which of course gives warm live stock water to the ranch. Although the fork that goes thru the cropland will freeze in the winter, the main fork very rarely freezes and thus supplies excellent stock water for the winter. There are two other drilled wells, but the owners have not needed to use them. One of the wells is 50 gpm; neither of the well has power run to them. 420 acres are irrigated by 3 pivots of which the oldest is 20 years old; the newest is 6 years old. 280 acres are irrigated with nine wheel lines. A 40 acre pasture is watered with a wheel line and there is some hand line irrigation. The hay field will run 5 ton to the acre and the rotation crop of Barley will run 100 bushel to the acre. An additional water right is the Willow Creek water right that is an older right and will flow most years. Willow Creek ditch flows into the pond; this give the pond two sources of water. The pond could be made larger and deeper. The ranch also has a 160 ft. deep well with a 100 HP electric pump, this well produces 1500 GPM and has been in use for about 6 years. The ranch will carry and produce enough hay for 200 pair.